U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke smiles during a news conference in Washington December 12, 2012. In an unprecedented step, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday it would hold interest rates near zero until it hit the specific target of a 6.5 percent U.S. jobless rate, and it pledged to keep pumping more money into the economy. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)